rluvsporsche

I need a rear wheel bearing replacement on my 87. I'm getting different quotes at local Porsche indy around Chicago suburbs. One gave me 1 1/2 hr. to R&R the bearing plus parts total $250 tax included. 2nd one 2 3/4 hours total $400 + tax. Does anyone know the right time to R&R the wheel bearing? Is this a difficult project to tackle? I was told it requires special tools.

Jerry Feather

It has been said before that "Search is you friend." There are a lot of threads on this forum about the rear wheel bearing replacement. In fact the most recent thread is near the top of the third page. It doesn't have all the answers for you, but keep looking--there are a bunch of them.

Jerry Feather

awilli6

I would jump on the $250 priced repair. I've gotten $400 & up here in Memphis. I ordered the part from Roger. $100 by itself. Have taken the hub off so far. No big deal using regular tools. Will let my Indy shop press it out for free. Following write ups from here on putting the new one back in. Requires heat & cold & rubber mallet. I think it should go easy enough (fingers crossed). Taking the opportunity to do breaks & clean like Dewayne recommends. By no stretch of my very vivid imagination do I consider myself a mechanic. I follow the very detailed instruction I get here very closely.

rluvsporsche

I appreciate the feed back, this is exactly what I was looking for. Keep us posted. Thanks

Jim M.

When I did mine, I put the new bearing in the freezer for about an hour and heated the hub with a propane torch. The bearing just fell into place, no hammer or press needed. Not a difficult job at all, a little time consuming but that's it.

GregBBRD

I charge two hours per side.....although getting the axle out of the left side is harder than getting out the right one....

You can actually do this without removing the upright from the vehicle.

A slide hammer that attaches to the wheel studs to get the hub out and get the old bearing out, is virtually a must. I have machined up a steel piece that goes onto the slide hammer and fits inside the bearing races, once the hub is out. I remove the emergency brake assembly and heat the upright with a torch. Then use the slide hammer to remove the old bearing. I clean up where the bearing sits, while it is still hot, and slide in the new bearing. The big circlip that holds the bearing in can be dangerous and you should use a fairly large pair of very high quality snap ring pliers.

You need a giant bolt to "draw" in the hub....do not pound the hub back in the new bearing, that will ruin the bearing. You need to use heavy duty anti seize on the splines of the axle. Do not get any on the threads.

You need a new axle nut. Never reuse the nut. It is a special lock nut and is intended for one use, only! You need a huge torque wrench to torque that axle nut to 340 ft. lbs. Do not use an impact and guess! Make the shop, if you choose to not do this job, show you their torque wrench that goes to 340 ft. lbs.! Most shops don't have one.....and use an impact....leave immediately!

All that being said....unless you have all of these tools at your fingertips and are fairly mechanical (this isn't the easiest job to undertake, I think the shop that is going to charge you $250 is being very fair. Make sure they replace the lock nut and have the proper torque wrench!

And don't forget....both wheel bearings have the same amount of miles on them....I usually suggest doing both.

Podguy

Bill Ball has a tool that can remove the bearing while the hub is on the car. Getting the hub off can be a core simply because of rust and such. I think he loans the tool out.

Bill Ball

True. There are at least a couple of the Sir Tool units in Rennlister hands around the country. Anyone doing the rear bearing should inquire if there are any more local to them. The tool can be shipped, but is heavy/bulky, would cost a fair amount to ship both ways and may not survive too many trips. I believe Dr. Bob has one that may still be available for people in the So Cal area. In years past he shipped it to me and others, but without some kind of strong shipping case, it takes a beating.

The alternative Greg describes of using a slide hammer with some adapters to fit the hub and then the bearing as well as a large bolt and nut to draw the new bearing in, accomplishes what the Sir Tool does - being able to replace the bearing with the hub carrier staying on the car. I believe that is how Stan has done this job as well. Or you can do it as described in the WSM. Even with the Sir Tool or Greg's method, 2 hours is fast. I've seen claims of 1 to 1.5 hours, but I can't believe that wheels on the ground to wheels back on the ground.

Bilal928S4

Can somebody provide a picture of the tool? Or the tool in action? Or the slide hammer in action to see how it will work on the 928?
Thanks

Bill Ball

I started to make a video of the Sir Tool....there is an error in it, but if you follow the directions for assembling the tool and don't use part 13 as I did in the video, it works fine. Anyway, this will give you an idea of how it works.

Bill Ball

Actually, hold on. Instead of that boring instructional video that doesn't show the tool in action, here's a video that shows us using it.

rluvsporsche

How did you remove the old one from the carrier? Did you have a special tool?

rluvsporsche

All - this is extremely helpful. I appreciate the response, you all rock. Thanks Ariel

rluvsporsche

Bill awesome video. Great help how to proceed DIY or go with pros.